Premium
Wastewater‐effluent‐dominated streams as ecosystem‐management tools in a drier climate
Author(s) -
Luthy Richard G,
Sedlak David L,
Plumlee Megan H,
Austin David,
Resh Vincent H
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/150038
Subject(s) - effluent , streams , biota , environmental science , wastewater , water quality , ecosystem , perennial stream , habitat , sewage treatment , ecosystem services , ecology , water resource management , environmental engineering , biology , computer network , computer science
Water withdrawals and discharges from municipal wastewater‐treatment plants in semiarid regions result in more urban streams becoming dependent on wastewater effluent for base flows. Such wastewater‐effluent‐dominated streams support perennial‐stream ecosystems that would not otherwise exist. At the same time, ecosystems downstream of effluent discharges can improve water quality, support water re‐use, create habitat, and provide urban amenities. By identifying measures of success for biota, habitat, hydrology, geomorphology, and water quality, water managers can better design, operate, and monitor effluent‐dominated water courses under future climate conditions. This requires the development of clearly defined ecological and social objectives, as well as a better understanding of the consequences of increasing reliance on wastewater effluent to sustain the biota of effluent‐dominated streams. Successful quantification of the costs and benefits of these projects is likely to attract the attention of agencies and communities that have the power to turn the environmental perturbations associated with effluent discharges into new forms of environmental enhancement.